Stakeholders from government, civil society, academia, and development partners have converged on Abuja for the National Summit on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), with a call for stronger collaboration, innovation, and inclusive approaches to tackling the growing threat of violent extremism across Nigeria and the Sahel.
The three-day summit, taking place at the Lake Greenfield Hotel & Towers, is convened by the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub (PCVE KIRH) in partnership with the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), and other partners. Technical support is provided by ActionAid Nigeria and NEYIF, with funding from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).
With the theme “The Evolving Landscape of Violent Extremism: Emerging Issues in Nigeria and the Sahel,” the summit aims to review emerging threats, strengthen multi-stakeholder collaboration, share best practices, address policy gaps, and generate actionable recommendations aligned with Nigeria’s National Action Plan and regional Sahel strategies.
Chair of the PCVE Knowledge Innovation and Resource Hub and Steering Committee of the PAVE Network, Mr. Jaye Gaskia, explained that violent extremism is not only a security threat but also a development challenge requiring both whole-of-government and whole-of-society responses. He stressed that the menace is driven by structural factors such as poverty, unemployment, poor governance, historic grievances, and weakening social cohesion, compounded by illicit arms flows, organized crime, and extremist group mobility across borders.
“Violent extremism is not confined to a particular community or state; it is a pan-Nigeria human security threat that requires a united national and regional response,” Gaskia said. He added that fragmented efforts will not succeed, insisting that inclusive, coordinated, and sustainable strategies are necessary to build community resilience and address grievances fueling extremism.
Highlights of the summit include keynote addresses, high-level plenaries, thematic sessions, research presentations, and the launch of the PCVE Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub and its digital platform. The summit also features a resilience ceremony showcasing community stories, as well as a mini-congress of grassroots voices and geo-political working groups developing regional action plans.
The PAVE Network, with chapters in 22 states across six geopolitical zones, and its flagship PCVE KIRH initiative, have already supported the development of state PCVE action plans, training of youth advocates and media practitioners, publication of policy briefs, and establishment of communities of practice nationwide.
The summit is expected to conclude with a roadmap of actionable recommendations to guide national, sub-national, and regional efforts against violent extremism, reinforcing the goal of building safer and more resilient communities across Nigeria and the Sahel.